Dore Schary – Interview for Australian Radio – September 26, 1952 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Interviews with those important and integral parts of Show Business, particularly during times of dramatic upheaval in practically all facets of the arts in the 1950s.
Dore Schary rose from the ranks of screenwriter (responsible for such films as Boys Town, featuring Spencer Tracy in 1938) and story Editor at Columbia Pictures to President of MGM, overseeing almost 50 films, including The Boy With Green Hair, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, Bad Day At Black Rock and Sunrise At Campobello). Schary represented integrity and relevance in the Motion Picture industry at a time when much was being questioned, not only about Hollywood, but all aspects of entertainment via blacklists, Congressional Hearings and advances in Technology (i.e. the growth of Television).
Although this interview was conducted for the purpose of promoting the work MGM was doing in Australia in connection with several relief organizations doing work in reconstruction after the War, it focuses on Dore Schary as an integral part of the Motion Picture business – the parts often overlooked when histories focus attention on the broad strokes, rather than the people who were the backbone of such a high visibility industry.
Dore Schary was an important figure in Hollywood at the time – and many of the time-honored films made in the 1950s owe much to his vision and perseverance – a quality that is timeless and certainly one much needed in our current climate.
For those of you who are film buffs, fans or aficionados of Popular Culture, this rare interview might offer some insights.
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